Aragami

6/10

Fun stealth action game with a USP that allows you to set your own pace at which you play. Honestly wasn't expecting to like this so much but the latter half of the game really picks up some slack from the relatively fine first half. The story was a bit predictable but not unwelcome and for the budget I'm assuming this was at, it doesn't look half bad.

[h1]Very fun and solidly designed stealth game![/h1] This game seems to have done relatively well in its time so you probably don't need an introduction to what it is, it's already got plenty of reviews. It's an indie stealth game where you sneak around as a shadow ninja doing ninja stuff. It's kind of noticeably low budget at points (it [i]is[/i] an older indie made in Unity after all), but honestly? The jank isn't nearly enough to detract from the game. Hell it's plenty less janky than several AAA games I could name. In any case let me be a bit more specific about the [b]gameplay[/b], in case you're interested: You move in third person around 3D stages. The stages are relatively linear but they do have a solid amount of little corners and places to explore for secrets, which you WILL want by the way, because those net you upgrade points to get and upgrade abilities. Super useful abilities at that. There IS no healthbars in this game. You die in one hit, enemies die in one hit. It's very [b]focused[/b] design-wise in that sense, because it allows for very deliberately designed levels. You can stealth kill enemies in one shot, same way that enemies will kill you in one blow if you're spotted. This doesn't mean getting spotted is a game over mind you, not at all. You can still escape and try to lure enemies around so you can get kills on them even AS they chase you. Just don't let enemies crowd around you multiple at once and you can get away with little more than a score penalty for getting spotted. Anyway, beyond the basic back-and-forth of things getting oneshot, there's the other mechanics that give the game its identity. Specifically the [b]shadow[/b] mechanics. Staying in dark areas (which are very clearly marked by the shadow casted on the environment) makes you very hard to see, and recharges your energy. Your energy is used to teleport to ANY area that's in shadows. Also to briefly create shadow puddles where there's light so you can teleport there instead. You also unlock an entire wheel of abilities as you go, both offensive and support abilities. For example, a throwable kunai that lets you oneshot enemies from a distance (though enemies can see the body so be careful), a smoke bomb that blinds enemies in the area where it lands, or straight up temporary invisibility so you can sneak past sightlines without worry. Abilities do have limited uses, but you get "shrines" to recharge them scattered throughout levels and at checkpoints. You also have a couple other extra moves you can unlock, like a special kill that recharges one use of an ability, or a slow-but-useful move that deletes bodies outright. It's neat, and it rewards exploration of the stages, which by the way are honestly pretty solid for what they are. The [b]graphics[/b] are fine but... yeah this is where I circle back to the game being noticeably low budget. The visuals are fine, don't get me wrong, they're perfectly serviceable for a cheap indie game, but they are still very simplistic, cutscenes are also very basic with inconsistently stiff animation, and menus and UI also just kind of "pop" in and out with very little feedback or transitions. Competent, again, it's all fine for what it is, but it's very noticeably lacking polish in that department. The [b]sound[/b] design is pretty damn good, but the music is kind of forgettable honestly. Again, it's fine, it serves its purpose, the ambient tracks sure do give ambience and the track when you're spotted is actually probably the most memorable one from how often you're gonna hear it. But idunno if I'd say anything specifically stands out from it overall. The [b]story[/b] is... Alright? Which surprised me because I'm picky as hell when it comes to game stories but honestly it's simple enough that there's not much to pick apart from it. Long as you suspend your disbelief for the magic-y ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that happens in the game's world. It's nothing special, you just wake up without memories as a mysterious girl summons you to help her, [spoiler]you go along killing mofos and getting the trinkets she needs to free herself from her seal, you get flashbacks along the way, you slowly recover your memories, you find out she was the bad guy all along, you remember she's just [i]getting revenge for the other kingdom getting revenge for her getting revenge[/i] because her kingdom and the other one have been at war for a while, you kill her to end the cycle of revenge, you die as the sun comes up because you're an Aragami.[/spoiler] The Nightfall DLC also gives some kinda neat context to how everything comes to be the way it is, which is nice because it answers some stuff that the main story left untouched. I wouldn't say it's anything [i]shakespearean[/i] or anything but it's fine for what it is. Really, just know that if there's one thing you're gonna be staying for it's the gameplay. Again, it's fun! And it's very solidly designed because of its one-hit-kill structure and how the levels are designed around it! And [b]co-op is super fun![/b] Genuinely kinda stupid that it's only online co-op with no option for local play but what are you gonna do. Played through the game with a friend on hard over several nights and had an absolute blast doing it.

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Un camino de venganza con un desenlace triste Aragami y Yahiko son personajes increibles. 9/10

Macht sehr viel Spaß mit einem Freund zusammen im koop. Ich habe es jetzt schon zwei mal durch :)